Watershed Moments and the Wisdom of God

a righty straw epistle

, meaning that it was made of straw, it was lightweight, and it was not that important. But in the grand scheme of the New Testament, I think a better way to consider the book of James is that it's more like the proverbs of the New Testament than it is the straw epistle. It's a practical letter focusing on life as Christ's followers. It's rich with sound advice and wise instruction for the Christian life. With that, it does point us back to Jesus, as it draws on Jesus' teachings. In most places, we see Jesus and Paul and all the other New Testament writers saying exactly the same thing that James does throughout his letter. So while James might not write much about the gospel, it's impossible to disconnect this letter from the foundation of the gospel. Hopefully you'll see that this morning, even in the first few verses we're gonna look at. Because in our first few verses, we're not just learning about how to live a life for Christ, we're learning how to live life in Christ, and with Christ, and dependent on the finished work of Christ. James 1 through 11 teaches us that we are never alone in the Christian life. All of life for the Christian has been overtaken by God. As we set out on the Christian journey, we see that God is both over us and beside us. He is at the end of the road, and he's also with us right here, right now. In a sentence, the main idea for us this morning is this. In the watershed moments of your life, delight in God and walk with God. in the watershed moments of your life, delight in God and walk with God. These verses speak to the significant crossroads that we will face in life. Moments that define our lives and impact the entire course of our life. The how did I get here moments. The moments that require careful and crucial next steps. Specifically, James focuses in on the obstacles, on the fog, and on the cargo. How to handle the hard stuff, how to handle the unclear stuff, and how to handle our stuff. And James gives us three important instructions on these matters. For the hard stuff, meet trials with joy. For the unclear stuff, ask for wisdom with faith, and for our stuff, pursue riches with humility. This is gonna serve as our outline for this morning. Meet trials with joy, ask for wisdom with faith, and pursue riches with humility. So let's dive in. First, let's take a look at what James says about the hard stuff. The obstacles on the road, the uphill battles, the trials of life. Point one, meet trials with joy. James 1, two through four, follow along with me as I read.

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. and let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Let's face it. Life gets tough. You either are going through something currently, or you will go through something that is really, really hard. We live in a fallen world. And that world is totally and radically affected by sin and death. Trials, hardship, suffering, it's all inevitable. The question we need to ask about trials is not an if question, but a when question. Sometimes trials may feel like a mountainous cliff that seemed to stop you dead in your tracks. Other trials may just feel a bit steeper than your comfortable climbing. Some trials are crushing. Others are exhausting. Some trials are self-induced. Others are inflicted upon you. Some trials cause you to cry out, how much more? And others cause you to cry, how much longer? Well, in every trial we face, no matter the kind or degree, James tells Christians to count it all joy when we meet trials of various kinds. Whether it's the first century Christian problem of persecution or the first world problems that we face today, count it all joy. Whether it's physical, mental, emotional, personal, professional, relational, Whether it's temporary or chronic, nagging or debilitating, count it all joy. This isn't a typo. James is actually telling us to delight in the trials that we face and to take pleasure in trials and to embrace trials. Verse three gives us the reason for why we shouldn't meet trials with joy.

For you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

James tells us that no matter what type of trial we're facing, trials are ultimately and fundamentally spiritual. They're a test of faith, and they're intended to strengthen your faith. Ultimately, they're not caused by the circumstances you're in. They're not caused by the people you're around. Ultimately, the trials that we face are caused by God himself. God is the ultimate cause of all things that take place. He is the first cause and sovereignly ordains all things that come to pass. And everything that God causes to happen is consistent with his good and perfect and righteous and just and loving character. And that's the logic that James uses to dig up the root cause of our trials. that God has ordained it and God has a purpose for it. And that purpose is your sanctification. Trials are the environment in which God bestows his transforming grace upon his people. They're meant to test your faith. They're meant to build up your faith. They're meant to increase your faith. God wants you to have faith. That's why he's extended his saving grace to you in the first place. He's graciously made you a new creation in Christ and he has indwelt you with his Holy Spirit. He gives you a new heart and a new mind and new desires to know him and to seek after him. That's the work that God does in regeneration. But like every other skill set in life, we don't just get regenerated into perfect maturity. Instead, God begins this ongoing process where he enables us to put off sin and put on Christlikeness. In that process, God intends to produce a faith in you that is established and mature and abundant. Trials are the important context in which the sanctification process ultimately takes place. In a sense, faith is a spiritual muscle. It requires exercise, it requires training. Think of an athlete who tears his ACL. They undergo an intense surgery and they have entirely new tissue grafted into their knee. This new ACL, it restores the stability and the function to the knee. But after surgery, months of physical therapy are prescribed. that knee needs to be trained, it needs to be strengthened, that knee needs to be built up so that the athlete can return to peak performance and not suffer another ACL tear. Well, if regeneration is the spiritual surgery that God performs on us to implant faith in us, then trials serve as the physical therapy that makes our faith functional and athletic. God doesn't just intend for our faith to exist. He wants it to thrive. As James puts it, he desires to produce a steadfast faith in us, and he wants our faith to endure. He wants our faith to be resilient. So verse four then encourages us to let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. Here, James gives us a vision for what we can look forward to as we meet trials. If trials are the cause of steadfastness, then the effect, he says, is perfection, completion, lacking in nothing. Now, I don't think James is referring to earthly glorification or total sinlessness here. Now our sanctification is a lifelong process and our sinless perfection will not be fully achieved until we reach eternity. But James does speak about genuine and real progress and increase here. He's also speaking of something that is real and lasting, something that is permanent, something that endures forever. When you're going through a fitness training program, you eventually reach the goal that you set out to achieve. Might take eight weeks, 12 weeks, six months, but eventually you may bench press heavier weight. You may run a mile in record time. But once you hit that goal, you're not permanently stronger or faster for the rest of your life. If you abandon that training regimen, you'll quickly get weaker and slower. But the promise that James holds out for us here is that spiritual steadfastness is not like our bodily fitness in this way. Trials are meant to produce a lasting faith in us. On the one hand, we experience the value and benefits of righteousness as we endure trials. We see how worthwhile it is to handle relational conflicts with love and grace. We see how worthwhile it is to resist temptation and pursue godly living. Or how worthwhile it is to be honest and gentle and self-controlled. We learn that sin is never a viable solution to our trials, to our problems. It is never worth pursuing to overcome the things that we face in our lives. These are good things. These are all worth growing in. But more importantly, More importantly than steadfast godly character, trials produce in us a steadfast and lasting faith in God himself. Faith is always attached to an object. Nobody just has faith. You have faith in something or in someone. Right now, you have faith in the pew that you're sitting in. That's why you plopped your bottom down on it. You had faith in the car that you drove across town or down 29 to get you here this morning. So you piled your family in it and you drove here. Faith is synonymous with trust. To have faith in something, you need to trust that whatever it is you're depending on will in fact accomplish its purpose. And so beyond testing your character and testing your godliness, trials are intended to test our trust in God and produce in us a lasting, enduring, complete, and utter dependence on God for all things. Woven into this idea of steadfastness here is patience. The ability to wait. The ability to press on and continue. The ability to let the course of action fully play out. Steadfastness in full effect is tied to patiently waiting on the Lord to act. And that's why trials are meant to be met with joy, with gladness, with embrace, with delight. Because in each trial that God has ordained for you, God intends to act in your life in a real way for his glory and for your good. He intends to reveal to you something about his sovereign and gracious character. He intends to display his invisible glory to you in a visible way. He hasn't abandoned you. He's not punishing you. He hasn't moved on. He hasn't given up on you. In your trials, God has chosen to draw near to you in a very particular way. James isn't telling us to take joy in trying circumstances we face. He's telling us to take joy in God himself, the God who is sovereign over our trials, the God who cares for us in our trials, and the God who glorifies himself in our trials. So when we meet trials, be steadfast. Continue in godliness. Be patient. Trust that the God who is over your trial is also the God who will see you through it. Trust that God will be glorified. and trust that you will be sanctified. We see examples of this all throughout the New Testament. The apostles, in the beginning of Acts, preached Christ, and they were beaten for their faith. In Acts 5.41, they rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name of Jesus. And then they continued on, and those trials led to the very churches that James was addressing his letter to. Paul's life in ministry was marked by trials and suffering, imprisonment, beatings, near-death experiences, and yet he referred to these intense trials as light, momentary afflictions compared to the eternal weight of glory. Most importantly, we see trials in the life of our Lord himself. His entire life was a test of faith, from his childhood to the 40 days in the wilderness, from his encounter with sinners to the conflicts he faced with Jewish leaders. And yet, while Jesus was tempted and tried in every way that we were, he remained steadfast and never sinned. His steadfastness remained even into his death. where he was beaten and crucified on a cross for a crime he didn't commit. Hebrews 12.2 tells us that it was for the joy that was set before him that he endured the cross. So when God tells us in his word to count it all joy when we meet trials, he's speaking as one who has experienced a more intense trial than we could ever fathom. He's acquainted with you in your trials and your grief. And he is compassionate and sympathetic toward you in those trials. And yet, he still sovereignly ordains trials so that you may be complete and perfect and lacking in nothing. Should we go out of our way to make life harder? But we shouldn't go out of our way to make life easier either. Ultimately, our lives shouldn't be shaped by the weight of our circumstances. Instead, they should be shaped by the weight of God's glory. Seek first God's kingdom and righteousness, no matter what that may mean for your life. How we go about doing that? Well, that's another skill set that God intends to work out in us. And that's what we read about in our next few verses. Verses five to eight, we read that faith is not just related to our trials, but also to our pursuit of wisdom as well. This leads us into point two. Ask for wisdom with faith. James 1, five through eight, follow along with me.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith with no doubting. For the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose he will receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Like steadfastness, wisdom is an important characteristic for the Christian. In the Old Testament, we read countless verses that speak to the necessity and the value of wisdom, particularly in the book of Proverbs. Wisdom is a major theme in James's letter as well, which is one of the reasons it's been referred to as the Proverbs of the New Testament. Wisdom is related to knowledge and understanding. But having wisdom is not just having knowledge and understanding. Wisdom is an ability and a skill to make right decisions and judgments. It's the ability to put knowledge and understanding to proper use. So we read earlier in Proverbs 1 that wisdom is not only knowledge and understanding, but also instruction, insight, dealings, prudence, discretion, and guidance. When it comes to the Christian life, wisdom is important because life is full of hard decisions. Not everything is black and white. The road of life is often covered with fog. And wisdom is essential for keeping on the right course when things might be unclear. James' instruction for us is simple. If you lack wisdom, Ask God for it. If you're stuck between a rock and a hard place, ask God. If you're not sure which direction you could go or how to handle the task at hand, ask God. If you need help figuring out how to apply the scriptures to your life, ask God. If you need guidance, ask God. If you need insight and instruction, ask God. If you're lost or confused or unsure, say it with me, Ask God, there we go, love it. Wisdom is not something that can be discovered. It's not something that can be concluded. It's not something that can be earned. It's received. Wisdom is something that God gives. God is the God of all knowledge. He's the creator of all things and he was and is and is to come. He's also the God of all wisdom. We sang earlier that he is the God of unsearchable judgments and inscrutable ways. The depth of his riches and wisdom and knowledge knows no end. He's the God who all things come from, all things go through, and all things return to. So in view of God's eternal wisdom and knowledge, we all lack wisdom, right? None of us can look at this verse and skip over it as if it doesn't apply to us. Yes, in some ways we may be more wise than others, but like the trials we meet, our ultimate need for wisdom is not a matter of if, it's a matter of when. And this verse provides incredible comfort for us, because the God of all wisdom is also the God who gives generously without reproach. the wisdom that is in God and is God, his heart takes delight in giving wisdom to his children. Have you ever been stuck on something at work or in school and you just can't figure out the answer? So you go to your classmate or you go to your coworker and you ask them for help and they just make you feel like a moron. Right, they look at you funny, they roll their eyes at you, they make you feel ashamed for not knowing the answer. Well, God is not like that. In the areas that you lack wisdom, God is willing and able and prepared to help you. He wants, he desires to glorify himself in you by being the wisdom that you need. Now in verse six, James makes it clear that how we ask for wisdom is important. He tells us that we are to ask in faith with no doubting. He then paints a vivid picture of the man who asks God for wisdom while doubting. He says that man is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. He also says something that may take us by surprise, that that man who doubts must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. Here James warns us against the severe danger of doubt. We've already defined Christian faith as trust in God and dependence on God. And I would argue that doubt is not just a lack of trust in God, but more so, it's trusting and depending on something other than God. Doubt is misplaced faith. It's when you ultimately trust in something else to guide you and lead you. You could trust in a substitute God, like comfort or money or power or approval, Or you could place your faith in yourself and be right in your own eyes. We see misplaced faith at work in the Garden of Eden, where Adam and Eve trust in the wisdom of the serpent and doubt the wisdom of God. Or in Matthew 14, where Peter has more faith in the wind to sink him than he did in Jesus to keep him afloat on the water. And verse seven tells us that whatever we place our faith in, That's who we should expect to receive from. If we're not seeking after God, we should not suppose to receive something from God. We should suppose that whatever we receive, we receive it from the thing that we're trusting in. We will reap what we sow. So you can imagine the man who spent his entire life chasing after money. At every turn and every important decision in life, He's chosen his career and his wealth over his family and his health. When that man is confronted with a divorce from his wife or a chronic illness, can he rightfully blame God for leading him into that point in his life? No. He spent his whole life doubting God's wisdom and trusting in the wisdom of his wealth. Yes, God may ordain all things, but he is not to be blamed for all things. And this is where the proverb-like nature of James is apparent. James sets the practical expectation for the Christian life and encourages believers to live accordingly. Ask God, have faith in God, wisdom will follow. But if you doubt, instability will follow. Now practically, as we think about asking God for wisdom, it's important to recognize where we should expect to receive answers. Ultimately, the wisdom that God has for us is to be received through his word. So as we read through our Bibles and see God speaking to us clearly and authoritatively, that's the wisdom that we are ultimately to follow. As we see Christ embodying the wisdom of God in his life and ministry, That's the example we are to model ourselves after. As God teaches us what will bring him glory and honor and what will advance his kingdom, that's the wise decision that we're called to make. Sometimes the direction is clear. Sometimes we might still have questions or need some more clarity as to how we ought to move forward in a situation. In those moments, It is absolutely imperative that we pray and ask God for wisdom. And with that, we can also employ otherwise instructions from God as we seek his direction. So some other things that we see in God's word, first is verses two to four. While we ask God, remain steadfast and endure. Resist the temptation to rush to a conclusion, be patient, entrust yourself to the Lord, Pray often for a decision and pray even about the decision-making process. Even in our waiting and our wondering, God is sanctifying you. Another wise step we could take is to seek counsel from those around us. Proverbs speaks to the value of seeking wise counsel in a number of places. So speak with your pastor. Speak with your fellow church member about what might be best for you in a certain situation. They might be helpful in affirming the decision, or they could offer a different perspective that you might have not even thought about. Once a decision has been made, move forward with confidence and assurance. If the Lord has been with you in the wisdom-seeking process, you can trust that he will remain with you as you take the next steps forward. Just as God is with you when you face trials, God is with you when you step into the seemingly unknown areas of life. The wise decision might not always be the safe decision, might not always be the comfortable decision. It might lead to trials. In the world's economy, you might be making the most foolish decision possible. But what's wise and right in the kingdom of God isn't always aligned with the kingdom of this world. God's kingdom is an upside down kingdom. It's the kingdom where leadership is service, where love is for your enemies, where the outsiders are included. In God's kingdom, true wisdom looks like foolishness to those who are perishing. We see this upside down nature of God's kingdom on display in our last few verses this morning. So we've received instruction on the hard stuff, on the unclear stuff, now let's consider what James has to say about our stuff. Point three, pursue riches with humility. Let's look at verses nine to 11, follow along with me.

Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation and the rich in his humiliation. Because like a flower of the grass, he passes away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass. Its flower falls and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

In this passage, the wisdom of God and the wisdom of the world collide head on. Our relationship with our money is going to define and shape everything about our lives. Money can buy power, it can buy influence, it can buy opportunity, and it can buy you all the reasons in the world to boast. So worldly wisdom would conclude that you should exalt in your riches. The richer you are, the higher your position. But James encourages the lowly brother, the one of humble circumstances, to boast in his high position. The rich man, on the other hand, he says is to boast in his humiliation, in his low estate, in his poverty. Now, I don't think James is necessarily glorifying poverty or shaming the wealthy here. Instead, he calls us to consider our wealth in light of eternity. For the lowly brother, the Christian in humble circumstances, he knows the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, that

though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor so that you through his poverty might become rich.

In Christ, he's received something far greater than any earthly treasure could ever provide. He's received every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. He's received the Holy Spirit, who is the deposit that guarantees an internal inheritance. He's good to go. His boasting isn't meant to be prideful self-exaltation here, but instead, he's meant to boast in the Lord and in the cross of Christ. The cross by which the world has been crucified to him and him to the world. The rich man should have the same perspective because he's experienced the same grace and received that same eternal inheritance. But for the rich man, his eternal perspective should also humble him. In view of eternity, his wealth is small and insignificant and worthless. As he sets his gaze upon God, he should realize that he has nothing to offer. He has nothing worth comparing, and he has nothing of true value. The draw to riches is so strong because wealth looks so glorious, doesn't it? I mean, money can get you whatever you want, whenever you want it. There's no need for patience. There's no need for steadfastness. There's no need to endure. No need to ask God. Whatever the problem, money can solve it right here, right now. Or so we think. The danger of riches is that it can cultivate faith in our wealth and doubt in God. James warns us that money is not as glorious as it may appear. And it doesn't go as far as it appears. James compares the rich man's wealth to a withered flower, scorched grass. It's ultimately useless and fading and will be gone with the wind. Wealth doesn't last. The pursuit of riches doesn't last. Money doesn't hold its value and a person's financial portfolio is not coming with them into eternity. It's humbling to think about that we could spend our whole life pursuing something that is absolutely worthless. Now, money does have value. It cannot buy happiness, but it can buy food and clothing and a house and transportation and other things that are important in life. But as important as money may be in some context, James is calling us to employ wisdom as we relate to our riches and our wealth. Don't trust it. Don't pursue it at all costs. Recognize that riches are vanity for both the poor man and the rich man. James's exhortation is ultimately the same. Look up to God and look forward to eternity. God's eternal kingdom will properly encourage you and it will humble you. So in view of this sobering reality about the pursuit of riches, how then should we relate to money? I don't think the application is here is that we have to pursue poverty or that wealth is a sin. But the gospel should radically change our relationship with money. Our grip should be much looser on our wallets. And our lives should not be determined by the dollars in our bank account. Instead of pursuing riches, godly wisdom calls us to pursue the kingdom of God with our riches. In God's economy, we don't own anything. It all belongs to the Lord. As hard as we may work and as skilled as we may be, our wealth is ultimately a gracious gift from God. He's allocated the resources to you for this period of time. And we're called to steward and invest in those resources wisely. While it's humbling to think about the vanity of riches in light of eternity, It's also humbling to consider that God has graciously entrusted you with wealth so that you may glorify him with your finances. Part of that stewardship means providing for our families and working hard to earn an income. Another part of that stewardship is a call to invest in the church, invest in missions, invest in brothers and sisters who have need. We're called to give generously and cheerfully and regularly. As we think about how to pursue riches and steward our finances, applications from our previous point apply here as well. Obey God's word. Pray and ask God for wisdom. Don't be hasty with your money. Be patient and seek counsel from others. Wisdom is necessary to handle our finances well. both in how we view our money and how we use our money. And ultimately, our wealth is not meant to be a source of pride. Instead, it's meant to be a means by which we can delight in glory in our God. While our riches may fade and wither like the grass, the word of the Lord remains forever. So if we want our riches to stand the test of time, invest in the promotion of God's word. As we conclude this morning, I recognize that James starts his letter with some hard teachings. These are not the natural responses to life's big moments. Especially if you're not a Christian or you're unfamiliar with the Bible, these Bible verses may sound utterly ridiculous. Rejoice that your life is hard, Just pray when you're lost and confused? Boast that you're poor? I'd imagine that you might think Christians are lunatics, that we're like absolutely out of our minds for listening to these teachings and actually trying to follow these out and live them out in our lives. Well, you're not alone. Guess who else thought this way about these teachings? James. When Jesus first started his earthly ministry, Mark 3.21 tells us that his family members went out to seize him and said that he was out of his mind. James, the half-brother of Jesus, was one of those family members. In John 7, we read about Jesus' brothers chiding him and expressing their unbelief in Jesus. James was one of those brothers. So what happened to James? How did James go from calling Jesus a lunatic to calling him Lord? What changed? Well, 1 Corinthians 15 tells us that after Jesus rose from the grave, he appeared to James. That Jesus sought out his own brother and proved to him that he wasn't crazy. He was the Christ and the Son of God. James was forever changed by an encounter with the resurrected Lord Jesus. James then gave his life to proclaiming Jesus and even died for his faith. James is far from some sort of cheesy self-help guru. He's a real man who speaks about a real faith in a real God. He speaks about real joy and real wisdom He speaks about a real eternity that he graciously received from his own half-brother, his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. James is going to have more hard teachings for us, but he's willing to confront us with the truth because he has witnessed the capital T truth in the flesh. So don't discount what James has written. Don't discount his teachings. Instead, look to Jesus, encounter the resurrected Lord, and place your faith in Him for your eternal salvation. Let's pray. Father God, who are we to question your wisdom or object to your ways? Forgive us for how we have sought to be right in our own eyes or for how we have doubted you, for the ways that we have entrusted ourself to false gods and false hopes. We ask that you increase our wisdom. We ask that you increase our joy. We ask that you increase our faith. Help us as we journey through life. Help us trust in you and lead us home. It's in Jesus' name we pray, amen.